Retrospecterive
by ArchFaith
Summary: One dark night in the zoo, the slightly insane monkey Specter narrates the story of his capitivity, his motives, and how he got the Peak Point Helmet. Later, he receives a midnight visit from someone he once knew....the first Ape Escape fanfic in the cate


Disclaimer: All Ape Escape elements belong to Sony Inc. and whoever else it belongs to.

Note: I am honored to write the first (or second?) Ape Escape fanfic on ! This fic is told from a certain mad monkey's perspective.

Special note: I really, really hate the characters' voices in the American version of Ape Escape! Spike and Jake sound like freakin' 20 year olds, and Specter sounds like a villain from the Powerpuff Girls! (no offense). If you have ever played the Japanese version released in the Philippines (English dubbed), you'll notice that everyone has an British accent, except for the Professor, who has a German accent. Spike and Jake actually sound like 10 year olds, and Specter sounds way more evil.

FOR THIS FIC I want you to imagine SPECTER and EVERYBODY ELSE with BRITISH ACCENTS okay? And the PROFESSOR has a GERMAN ACCENT.

Update: 10/18/04: Well, 3 years later Archie is still going strong. I've cleaned up the fic and made paragraph adjustments and whatnot, so it's easier to read. The text is untampered.

Retrospecterive

by ArchFaith

It's nighttime right now.

Nighttime in the zoo, in my cage. Nighttime in my soul.

Every day I am made to perform in the zoo. Shows for the people. I wear a clown collar around my neck and a red vest. The people laugh and smile. Would they still, if they knew that I hated them all?

There's a sign in the front of the zoo. It reads:

THE ONLY WHITE MONKEY IN CAPTIVITY!!!!

THE AMAZING SPECTER!!!

PERFORMING IN THE JUNGLE ARENA EVERY TWO HOURS!!

Curse them. All the humans. Those monsters.

I was tired of living like I was. Tired of all these stupid people. Maybe that's why I did what I did. It all began about a month ago...

-

"Hey look, Professor! It's Specter!" an annoying little voice screamed. I looked up from my nap in the synthetic palm inside of my cage.

A man in a lab coat stood there. I knew him. He was the one who had captured me when I was an infant. I don't remember much about my birth, except that I was born in the jungle, somewhere in South America. My earliest memory is that of the Professor examining me, probing me. Telling the zoo officials that I was the only white monkey in captivity. Giving me to them.

How could you do that, Professor? Condemning me to a life of pointless shows, sitting in a cage, wasting my life.

Of course, I was unaware of those things back when I was stupid. But I do remember...

The little voice belonged to a boy with spiky red hair and a shock of yellow, wearing a red-and-white shirt and blue shorts. He was standing with the Professor, a bag of popcorn in one hand, a brown suitcase in the other.

"Is that the monkey you examined, Professor?" another voice asked. Another kid stood next to the Professor, this time with blue hair in a ponytail. He had a black ninja outfit and a bag of candy in one hand.

"Yes, it is, Jake," the Professor answered. He took off his glasses and wiped them on his shirt. "How are doing, Specter?"

I hissed.

"He's feisty," the spiky red-haired boy observed.

"True, Spike. He always was," the Prof answered. He eyed the suitcase Spike held in his hands. "Now be careful with that! I want to show it to Professor Elcanter while I'm here at the zoo! Be careful not to drop it!"

"Aw, I won't!" Spike answered, rubbing his head. "C'mon, Profess, this monkey is boring! Let's get outta here."

I swung down and hung from my tail, not quite understanding what they were talking about.

Jake looked around for something else to see. "Hey look! They have giraffes!" he yelled, scampering away.

"Wait a minute, Jake!" the Prof shouted, going after him. "Come along Spike!" he called as he disappeared around the corner.

"I'm coming!" Spike replied. He tried to run, but was held down by the heavy suitcase. "Aw man," he groaned. He found he could walk with it, lugging it along behind him. "This isn't my idea of a fun trip," he said, looking around.

Spotting me and my cage, his face lit up. "Ha! I know!" He reached down and pulled a strange-looking contraption out of the suitcase. It was bowl-shaped and made out of metal, with a red siren at the top.

It was small enough to fit through the bars of my cage, which Spike promptly did. He closed the suitcase and grinned. "The Profess will never know," he whispered. "I'll come back for it when we're ready to see Elcanter. But for now, it'll be safe with you, right?" He gave me a wicked grin and trotted off with the empty suitcase, now much lighter.

I didn't know what it was. I climbed down from the tree and looked at it. Hmm. Was it something to eat? Something to play with?

Out of curiousity, I raised the thing to my head. It fit perfectly around my round, furry head. Maybe it was something to play with...

Play with...

Play with...

It was then that I realized everything. The contraption, known as the Peak Point Helmet, was an untested intelligence machine, capable of making anyone smart. But untested...

I stood up. "I am Specter," I whispered. I was talking in human speech! I understood! I was no longer a dumb little monkey, but an intelligent being!

I was wild. I was angry. The humans had to pay...

-

I waited. I waited until the next day, in fact, to carry out my plan.

I freed all the monkeys from the zoo. We rampaged out of the city, and into the area where the Professor's lab was located. Inside were the Professor and his airheaded assistant, whom we quickly tied up. The Professor seemed to realize that I wore his Peak Point Helmet, after believing Spike had lost it.

Right in the middle of the lab was the Professor's greatest invention, a Time Machine. I went over to examine it, to see if it worked...

Then who should come in but Spike and Jake, ready to apologize? I quickly turned the dials on the machine. A great wind swept through the lab, picking up myself and the monkeys and hurling us through time. Along with Jake and Spike.

I found myself with an army of monkeys, unlimited knowledge, powerful building tools, and a useful little puppet. I took advantage of everything.

I had the monkeys stationed through various eras to time, from the stone age to the new millenium. With the tools I had stolen from the Professor's lab and a few abandoned buildings, I had build me a theme park and a huge fortress for my evildoings.

Jake was useful as well, managing to prevent that idiot Spike, with his little gadgets and mailboxes, from getting to me. But, he would soon fail...

Spike caught all the monkeys.

He disabled my machinery.

He battled Jake and won.

He caught me.

Curse you, Spike. If I had known...

-

That was a month ago. I'm back in the zoo now....my Helmet was taken from me, but my knowledge remains. I can still talk, although I choose not to. I still perform, but my heart is gone. I eat and sleep, but it means nothing!

I could have had the world...!

It's night now. I should be asleep, but I'm not. I'm up, thinking about my life. I'm up...

A noise startles me. I turn my head from side to side, wondering who it could be. A shadow appears next to my cage. I feel my hair standing on end. Who is it?

So I choose to speak. "Who are you?" I asked, in my deep, accented voice.

The figure jumped. It wearing a black cloak, a hood spread over its head. "Specter! You can still speak?!" it asked.

"Who are you?" I demand. "Why are you here?"

"You can still talk?!"

I sighed. "I retained my knowledge from the Helmet," I explained. "Now what are you doing?"

I saw a shiny object in the figure's hand. It was a key. The key. The key to my cage.

"I'm here to get you," it explained, unlocking the door. "I'm going to take you to the Professor."

"The Professor? Why?" I asked, my voice tinged with hate.

"I helped him realize...that you're a troubled guy. That's all. Besides, he could use some more help around the lab."

"I refuse to go," I said stiffly, not budging. But it was no use. The figure picked me and held me like a baby. I kicked and scratched to no avail.

"But you'll be getting out of the zoo! Aren't you happy?"

"Not to the Professor. I want to go somewhere where I can be alone. Somewhere where I can be with my thoughts. I could've had the world, you know!"

"But the world wouldn't have you," the figure angrily retorted. It pulled me away from my cage and down the path to the parking lot.

I sulked quietly. So now he wanted me to help him at the lab? Idiot! I was a thousand times smarter than he was, a thousand, a thousand...

"Let me go!" I squealed, struggling to get free of the figure's arms.

"Be quiet, or you'll trigger security!" the figure scolded. It sighed.

"Don't you remember me, Specter? I was there when you were a baby. When the Profess was examining you, I was watching. I was young, but I still remember....oh Specter, you had the saddest eyes. So sad. The Profess wanted to name you Ghost because of your white fur, but I wanted to call you Specter..."

"You named me?" I questioned. I looked up into the hood. I saw a face. A face. A gasp escaped my lips.

"Everything's gonna be fine now," the figure hushed. "At the lab, you can do whatever you want. Because once you get a rush of intelligence, I don't think you'll be satisfied being an ordinary monkey."

It hugged me close. I can remember it now. I know who you are...

My voice was choked with happy tears. The same person whom I had wronged had also named me. I know you. "Natalie."

Her pigtailed red hair brushed against my ear. "Let's go home, Specter," she whispers as we walk away.

Note: That was not a romance, repeat, not a romance! Don't think dirty now! I don't know where I got the idea for this fic, but I thought Specter was a great villain, and all he needed was a hug. Natalie is the perfect girl for the job, but hugs in a platonic way, okay? Like a guardian. Did you remember to imagine them with accents?

I hope this fic opens the way for more Ape Escape fanfiction!!!!

XOXO, Archie


End file.
